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Zodd
|-| Apostle Form= |kanji= 不死の（ノスフェラトゥ）ゾッド |rōmaji= Fushi no (Nosuferatu) Zoddo |also known as= Zodd the Immortal Beast Swordsman Black Lion |manga debut= Chapter 2 Nosferatu Zodd (1) |anime debut= (1997 Anime) Episode 6 Zodd the Immortal (2016 Anime) Episode 11 Shadows of Idea |movies debut= Golden Age Arc I Egg of the Supreme Ruler |japanese voice= (1997 Anime) (Movies, 2016 Anime) |english voice= (Anime, Movies) (Game) |gender= Male |eyes= Yellow Red (Movies, 2016 Anime) |hair= Black |species= Apostle Human (formerly) |status= Alive |affiliation= Neo Band of the Hawk God Hand |previous affiliation= Chuder |occupation= Neo Band of the Hawk Captain |previous occupation=Mercenary |image gallery= yes |species = Apostle Human (formerly) }} or "Zodd the Immortal" is a legendary sword master and recurring antagonist throughout the series. Any battle in which he participates results in mountains of dead. Zodd is a powerful Apostle who travels from battlefield to battlefield seeking ever-stronger opponents. He serves as both the rival of the Skull Knight and Guts. Appearance Zodd1.png|Zodd as he first appears in the Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc. Zodd2.png|Zodd in Apostle form. When in human form, Zodd is a 10-foot-tall barbarian warrior. Interestingly, some of Zodd's facial features, his hair, and his pointed ears resemble Guts' own. It is not yet clear if this has any significance. While he normally wears little to no clothing facing Guts in his human form, Zodd wears light armor over his torso with a fur loincloth and cape otherwise. In his Apostle form, Zodd becomes a Behemoth-like beast and can sprout wings to take flight. After his confrontation vision with Griffith, Zodd loses one of his horns, which reflects as a scar on his human form's forehead. Personality Zodd is a fearless Apostle who has devoted his existence to combat. His urge to fight stronger opponents and relish in the fight has left mountains of the dead in his wake. He is ferocious and does not show mercy, even when an opponent is clearly outmatched. Above all, he seeks a challenge. Despite his keenness for battle, Locus has stated that Zodd was a man of great depth. Unlike most Apostles, he does not eat human flesh, neither is he sadistic nor cruel, nor does he enjoy torturing humans or having to kill weaklings. He does not kill for the sake of it, only for the thrill of battle. Indeed, more than once Zodd has expressed great melancholy in his choice to become an Apostle, as it has made him too strong to find a challenge. For those who survive their first encounter with him, and thus prove themselves worthy opponents, Zodd has nothing but respect. He holds anyone who can harm or even defend against him in great esteem, such as Guts and the Skull Knight. It is implied that Zodd greatly respects Guts for being a formidable match despite being a human. Abilities Even among Apostles, Zodd's fighting ability is legendary, and is regarded as the most powerful of physically-based Apostles. Master Swordsman/Tactician: Due to his incredible age, even among Apostles, Zodd has learned a large variety of fighting styles and tactics throughout his centuries of battle. He is able to fight masterfully with nearly any weapon he finds on the battlefield, but his preferred weaponry are duel-wielding swords and battleaxes. When faced in battle with Guts at the Hill of Swords, he is able to inspect within seconds that his sword is damaged by the Dragonslayer's massive swings and quickly discards it, adopting a new battle style from new weapons on the spot. Supernatural Strength: Zodd is able to defeat the average Apostle with ease, and is the only Apostle capable of fighting on equal footing against the Skull Knight. In his Apostle form, he can parry large weapons with his horns and claws, absorb arrow volleys with his thick fur and skin, and break through solid concrete and rock with sheer force. His strength is such that he can send a fully-armored Guts with his Dragonslayer (a combined approximate 363kg) flying across the battlefield with the swipe of his paw. Supernatural Durability: His durability is exceptional; he is able to endure several lighting strikes from Ganishka, an attack which kills several of his fellow Apostles. In addition, Zodd shows incredible pain tolerance; reacting to his arm being cut off with mere amusement. Regeneration: A possible cause for his "immortality" on the battlefield, if damaged or grievously injured, Zodd can regenerate and heal his wounds nearly instantly. When his arm is severed by Guts during their first encounter, Zodd merely picks it up and reattaches it to the bloody stump before the wound is fused and healed within moments. However, this only applies if Zodd can physically attach the severed limb or piece of himself to the stump; as he couldn't regenerate his horn once it was cut off. Supersonic Flight: In his aerial form, he can generate membrane wings which allow him to fly at supersonic speeds and to rip apart flesh. History Golden Age Arc A mystery, Nosferatu Zodd lived for three centuries prior to offering his services to the Chuder empire during its war with the kingdom of Midland. He is considered by many mercenaries to be a "god of the battlefield", having fought countless battles without equal. Zodd first meets Guts while protecting a Chuder stronghold, slaughtering almost fifty of the Band of the Hawk's Raiders that stormed its halls, before the swordsman enters alone to confront him. With Guts enraged to find him amongst the butchered remains of his men, Zodd knocks the charging Guts back by throwing the corpses of two Raiders at him with a swing of his sword. Zodd then advances towards Guts, complimenting his swordsmanship, before the two begin to exchange blows. After a struggle, Guts manages to slice the top half of Zodd's blade clean off, cutting into the Apostle's right shoulder in the process. In response, commending Guts for being the first human to ever deal him harm for a long time, Zodd grabs his opponent's sword while assuming his true form to fight at his full potential. Zodd expresses disappointment in Guts' feeble attempts to fight him after his transformation, reluctantly proceeding to finish him off. But the Hawks intervene to save Guts by hitting the Apostle with an arrow volley. After shrugging off their second assault, Zodd proclaims that the Hawks' interference with his fight is unforgivable. He decimates the retreating force, cornering Griffith and the now wounded Guts before they can escape, and insists that they fight. Defending Guts, Griffith slices the Apostle's left arm above the elbow, but he is quickly thrown back by the beast's retaliatory tail strike. While delighted to have found another capable of hurting him, Zodd expresses regret in having to kill an unconscious Griffith along with the incapacitated swordsman. However, Zodd stays his hand upon seeing the Crimson Behelit around Griffith's neck, shocked yet amused by God Hand's choice. Knowing full well the significance of Griffith's destiny, Zodd decides to take his leave by punching through the keep's roof to take flight. Before leaving, Zodd cryptically tells Guts that he will face an inevitable death in a time when Griffith's dream is shattered. From that point on, Zodd watches the Hawks' actions from afar. During the Battle of Doldrey, observing the duel between Guts and Boscogn from a distance, Zodd throws his sword towards Guts for the swordsman to use after his own broke during the battle. He departs soon after Guts defeats Boscogn, knowing the arrival of the Eclipse to be approaching. A year later, on his way to the Eclipse ceremony, Zodd encounters the Hawks for the last time as they are attacked by Wyald. Zodd takes offense to his fellow Apostle acting against the God Hand's will, and kills him for using the weakened Griffith as a hostage. Zodd then relays to Griffith that his Crimson Behelit will return to him, but neglects to answer Guts' questions about his previous statement, explaining that all will be revealed imminently as he flies away. As the Eclipse begins, having no interest in partaking in the slaughter of the Hawks alongside his fellow Apostles, Zodd remains in the physical world near the portal to the site of the Eclipse. He awaits the Skull Knight's arrival, the figure mistakenly concluding that Zodd was given the task of guarding the portal to the Interstice. Eventually, Zodd is forced to let the Skull Knight pass, finding and reattaching his limbs that were severed during their fight. Soon afterwards, he witnesses his rival emerge from the portal with Guts and Casca. Shocked to see Guts still alive, Zodd accepts the Skull Knight's request to postpone their battle until a more convenient time, and allows him to escape with the surviving sacrifices and Rickert. While watching them leave, Zodd expresses his anticipation to see how the newly branded swordsman will survive in his darkened reality. Conviction Arc Two years after the Eclipse, having just slaughtered three-hundred mercenaries, Zodd has become bored of constantly fighting weaker opponents. Zodd considers hunting down Guts after learning how many Apostles the swordsman has killed in his quest for revenge. But Zodd suddenly experiences a vision of the Hawk of Light and assumes his Apostle form to fight the apparition in a stand-off, resulting in his defeat. As Zodd regains consciousness, he finds his left horn severed before him and a gash present on his forehead. He stares up at the crow-filled sky before hearing a disembodied voice beckoning him to travel to St. Albion where "the desired" will come. During the city's destruction as a consequence of the Incarnation Ceremony, Zodd arrives, coming face to face with the Skull Knight. The two travel together to find the result of the ritual: a reconstituted Griffith. Zodd then bows to his new master, killing the Kushan soldiers advancing towards him before taking Griffith to safety. Falcon of the Millennium Empire Arc After taking Griffith to Rickert's location, passing over a forest along the way, Zodd finally gets his chance to battle Guts on the snow-covered Hill of Swords. Expressing his excitement to fight Guts, Zodd explains his intention to protect Griffith from the swordsman as the two battle each other. After Zodd commends Guts for having grown since their last fight, Zodd assumes his true form and the battle reaches a climax, resulting in the destruction of the elvish cave near Godo's home. At that point, Griffith orders Zodd to cease fighting and instead to carry him off to begin his campaign. Zodd later appears in armor when Griffith commences his initial attack on the Kushan invasion force that took over Midland, massacring numerous Kushan soldiers alongside the Apostles that will become the foundation of Griffith's new Band of the Hawk. Later, Griffith sends Zodd alongside Grunbeld to burn down the Spirit Tree near Enoch Village, where he confronts Guts and the party he has amassed since their last encounter. Zodd crosses paths with Guts yet again at Vritannis, leading the Apostles against Ganishka and the monstrous creatures he has sent to ravage the city. Though the two join forces to defeat Ganishka's construct, neither capable of defeating their mutual enemy alone, Zodd tells Guts that they will have to settle their duel another time. However, when Guts learns that Griffith is outside the city to face Ganishka and his army, Zodd threatens to mince the swordsman if he reconsiders going after his leader. Guts accepts the terms when Serpico reminds him of his priorities, Zodd leading the Apostles out of the city to join Griffith. Days later, during the final battle with an ascended Ganishka, Zodd carries Griffith and Rakshas onto the giant Apostle's body and is present at ground zero of the World Transformation. Trivia *In the Berserk Film Trilogy, his humanoid form has yellow eyes. *His first name, Nosferatu, is a direct reference to the 1922 German expressionist film, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror). In the movie the word Nosferatu is a Romanian term synonymous with vampire, though this is not the case in real life. *The Street Fighter character Akuma bears a resemblance not only in appearance but personality as both want to fight powerful opponents. They also constantly seek to oppose the protagonist in order to test their strength. *Zodd is shown to know about the Berserker Armor as he looked at it with surprise and even fear after seeing Guts using it. That was the only time he showed a sign of surprise and fear. Quotes References Site Navigation es:Zodd Category:Apostle Category:Male Characters Category:Antagonists Category:Neo Band of the Hawk Category:Mercenaries Category:Swordsmen Category:Living Characters Category:Supernatural Characters Category:Golden Age Characters Category:Conviction Characters Category:Falcon of the Millennium Empire Characters Category:Main Antagonists